


Shots Fired

by Aravis_Bryir



Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid
Genre: Autistic Hannah Foster, F/M, OC Classmates and Coworkers, Shooting, school shooting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:34:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 7,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24142174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aravis_Bryir/pseuds/Aravis_Bryir
Summary: "Loud noise. Bad blood."In which Hannah's school has a shooting.
Relationships: Ethan Green & Hannah Foster, Hannah Foster & Lex Foster, Hannah Foster & Webby (Black Friday), Lex Foster & Ethan Green, Lex Foster/Ethan Green
Comments: 9
Kudos: 53





	1. Hannah

**Author's Note:**

> So this was inspired by "Three Hours" by Rosamund Lupton. (It's an amazing book, I highly recommend it.) 
> 
> Basically this story is Hannah's at school with an active shooter, so tread carefully if that sort of thing will trigger you.

“Loud noise. Bad blood.” Hannah kept saying. She didn’t want to go to school today. Something bad was going to happen. That’s what Webby said anyway.  
“I’m sorry, banana, but you have to go to school.” Lex said.  
“No. Loud noise. Bad blood.”  
“I know you don’t want to go, but you can’t stay home by yourself. Me and Ethan have work.” Lex was loosing patience. She was going to be late if she couldn’t get Hannah to stop panicking.  
“What’s wrong, Split?” Ethan asked as he walked into the room.  
“Loud noise. Bad blood”  
“She’s refusing to go to school.” Lex explains.  
“Right, okay.” He crouched down to Hannah’s height. “Hey, banana, do you remember the magic hat I gave you?”  
She nods.  
“Well, if you wear it to school today, you’ll be protected from loud noises and bad blood, yeah? Plus if you put on your headphones that’ll doubly protect you from loud noises. That way you’ll have nothing to worry about.”  
Hannah slowly nods. Ethan grabs the hat and headphones and puts them in her head.  
“See, you’re all safe, so can Lexi take you to school now?”  
“Little while?” Hannah asks Lex  
“I’ll pick you up as soon as my shift is over, okay?”  
“Okay.”  
“Okay then, let’s roll.” Lex gives Ethan a kiss goodbye “thanks, babe, love you.”  
“Love you too. You girls have a good day, I’ll see you tonight.”  
Hannah holds on tightly to Lex’s hand as they walk to the school.  
“Be good, ‘kay? I’ll pick you up as soon as I can.”  
Hannah hugs her. “Loud noise. Bad blood.”  
“I know, but you heard what Ethan said, your hat and headphones will protect you. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”  
“Webby says bad day.”  
“Nothing bad will happen to you, banana. I’ve got to get to work now. I’ll be back before you know it.” Lex gives her a kiss on the forehead and sends Hannah through the school gates to get to her classroom. “I love you, Han.”  
“Love you.” Hannah mumbles. She didn’t want to go to school; bad things were going to happen. But Lex said she had to. At least she had Ethan’s magic hat.


	2. Lex

Lex hated leaving Hannah when she was having a bad day. But there wasn’t anything she could do about it, she had to work and so she trudged on into the cafe she worked at.  
“Morning, Lex.” Said her coworker, Riley from behind the counter.  
“Morning. Is Ralph in?”  
“Not yet, luckily for you, you’re five minutes late.”  
Lex sighed, relieved that her manager wasn’t in yet. “Hannah didn’t want to go to school.” She proceeds to make herself a coffee.  
“What did she say today?” Riley was studying psychology at uni and was fascinated by Hannah.  
“’Loud noise. Bad blood.’”  
“I don’t know about you, but I have no idea what that could possibly mean.”  
“Me either. But she really didn’t want to go to school, she was convinced something bad was going to happen.”  
“How did you get her to go?”  
“That was Ethan’s doing, told her some shit about a magic hat, and that as long as she wore it nothing bad would happen. He uses that trick every time she’s worried something bad is going to happen.” Lex explains, sipping her coffee.  
“Look lively, ladies.” Ralph says as he walks in. “It’s gonna be a busy day.”  
Great. Lex hates it when it was a busy day, it meant she was less likely to leave on time and she didn’t want Hannah to panic because she was running late,  
“Don’t give me that look, Lex.”  
“Sorry Ralph.” She busied herself with the coffee machine wiping down its shiny silver surface. She was glad she was always on coffee making duty, she didn’t know how riley managed to fake smile to each bitchy customer and still come off as genuine.   
Customers began to come in the door and Lex got to work making their coffee orders.  
Large cappuccino on soy.  
Medium flat white two sugars.  
Medium extra hot latte on skim.  
Large flat white.  
Small latte on almond milk.  
The day was dragging on. The small TV in the corner of the room was playing some local new channel. They were talking about some drug ring that had just been caught or something like that. Lex wasn’t really paying it much attention, it was really just background noise. Riley always kept an eye on it though, just in case something big happened.


	3. Hannah

It was only 10 o’clock and Hannah was getting very anxious. Webby kept warning her that something bad was going to happen. Loud noise. Bad blood. She hadn’t taken Ethan’s magic hat or her headphones off the entire time she was at school. Her teacher didn’t like it when she wore her headphones during class but she had a not that was permanently in her pencil case from Lex, saying that she was allowed to wear her headphones whenever she needed them.  
Loud noise. Bad blood.  
BANG!  
The noise was so loud that Hannah heard it through her headphones.  
“Loud noise.” She said.  
BANG!  
One of the girls in her class screamed.   
“Loud noise. Bad blood.”  
The lights went out.  
BANG!  
More screams.  
“Calm down everyone!” Miss Larvernor called.  
BANG!  
Hannah didn’t know what was making the noise, but she guessed Miss Larvernor knew and judging by her face it wasn’t good.  
“Everyone get under your desks and be as quiet as you can.” She instructed, pushing her desk in front of the door so that no one could get in. She lowered all the blinds over the windows and joined the students under the desks.  
Hannah was crying silently. “Loud noise. Bad blood.” She whispered as she heard more bangs and people outside of the classroom screaming. She began rocking back and forth, clamping her hands over her headphones to try and block the noise.  
BANG!  
BANG!  
BANG!  
“What’s going on?” One of the kids, Lucinda, asked Miss Larvernor.  
“I’m not sure, but we have to stay quiet.” She said. She stood up, seemingly having had an idea. “Quickly everyone, as quiet as you can, put the desks on their sides to make a barricade against the back wall.”  
The class began moving their desks, hiding behind them. Miss Larvernor left some of them standing upright to make a roof.   
Hannah stayed where she was, unable to move. She was scared. She shouldn’t have come. She knew something bad would happen. But Lex said she would be fine. She had Ethan’s magic hat, didn’t she. Magic hat, nothing could hurt her.  
BANG!


	4. Lex

It was mid-morning, one of the quieter parts of the day. Lex sipped her second coffee and stared out the window as a bunch of cop cars raced by lights flashing. She wondered what they were after, but wasn’t concerned. Probably a break in or something.  
“Lex, stop daydreaming.” Ralph said coming up behind her. “At least try to look busy.”  
Lex gave a mock salute and began wiping down the bench.   
It was just a normal day. She hoped Hannah found it as such. Hopefully she’d gotten over whatever it was that was scaring her. Lex felt bad for making Hannah go to school when she was so adamant that something bad was going to happen.  
“What’s on your mind?” Riley asked, filling up the cash draw with coins.  
“Hannah.”  
“Doesn’t she do that freak out thing all the time? She’ll be fine.”  
“I know, but something feels different I don’t know how to explain it. She was so sure something bad was going to happen at school today. She calmed down a bit with Ethan’s hat, but when we got to the school gates she didn’t want to go in.” Lex said.   
“She will be fine though, Lex. The worst thing that could happen is she falls over in the playground.”  
“Yeah, I know. I’m just starting to get a bad feeling, is all.” Maybe Hannah’s paranoia was rubbing off on her. Lex shook her head, to try and clear it. “Sorry, I guess I’m just being paranoid. It’s just a normal day, and everything will be fine.”  
“You’re practically, Hannah’s mum. You’re allowed to be paranoid about something happening to her.” Riley turns her attention back to the TV. The banner for a breaking news story flashed red across the screen. “Hey check this out.” Riley pointed Lex’s attention to the screen.  
“Breaking news.” The reporter said. “We’ve just had word that gunshots have been fired inside Silverlake Elementary School.”  
“Oh my god.” Lex said, not hearing anything else the reporter said. “Oh my god. Fuck. Oh my god.”  
“Lex?” Riley asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. “What is it?”  
“That’s Hannah’s school.” She breathed out. “Oh my god. Shit. Fuck. She’s in there. Fuck.” She began untying her apron. “I’ve got to get there. I’ve got to get her out. Fuck.”  
“Hey calm down for a second.” Riley held her still. “Breathe. Take a moment to think.”  
Customers had begun to stare at them.  
“You need to think, Lex.”  
“I can’t think. Hannah will be scared. She could be hurt. What if she’s-“ She cut herself off. No. She couldn’t think that way.  
“Lex, call Ethan and head down there.”  
“What about work?”  
“I’ll cover for you, don’t worry, you need to get down there.”  
“Thanks, Riley.”  
“Don’t worry about it, just go.”  
Lex grabbed her things running out the door, dialling Ethan as she did so.


	5. Ethan

It had been a fairly quiet day at the mechanics shop Ethan worked at. He’d left for work shortly after Lex had gone with Hannah. He started work later than Lex but in the opposite direction to Hannah’s school so they figured it was easier for Lex to drop her off and pick her up each day. It was a pretty good arrangement, though on the days it rained the girls would wait for Ethan to come by with his car so they wouldn’t have to walk in the rain.   
Today was bright and sunny, however, so he would have to wait until he got home to see his girls. They always got back before him and as soon as he’d come through the door, Hannah would run up and tackle him with a big hug. It was adorable and he loved it.  
So far there had only been one person come in with there car for a service, with both Ethan and Eric working on it, it was finished in no time, so the two of them were just sitting around in the lounge waiting for someone else to show up. He felt his phone vibrate with a call and took it out, seeing it was from Lex. He picked it up.  
“Hey babe, what’s up?”  
“Ethan! Oh my god. Fuck.”  
“Lex, what’s wrong?” He stood up and moved to the other side of the room to give himself a bit more privacy.  
“Hannah. Fuck. Shit.”  
“Babe, slow down and tell me what’s going on?” He was starting to get worried.  
“Hannah. Hannah’s school. There’s. Fuck. There’s a shooter there.” Lex finally managed to say what was happening.  
“What?!” Ethan was shocked.  
“The school is in lockdown. Shit, Ethan, Hannah’s in there!”  
“Okay. Okay. Fuck. Okay. I’m on my way.”  
“Hurry, okay.” He could practically hear the tears fall down Lex’s cheeks.   
“I’ll be there soon, babe.” He hung up and started grabbing his stuff.  
“What’s going on?” Asked Eric, who had heard Ethan’s side of the conversation.  
“There’s a shooting at Hannah’s school.”  
“Shit, man.”  
“Yeah, I’ve gotta go.”  
“Yeah. She’ll be okay though. Hannah’s a tough kid.”  
“She better be okay.” Ethan sped out the door and into his car. He cursed himself as he fumbled the keys into the ignition, bringing the engine to life after. He sped off towards Hannah’s school. She’ll be okay. She has to be okay.


	6. Lex

The block surrounding the school had been tapped off by the time Lex got there. Policemen were guarding the area making sure no one got in. There was a decent crowd there already, from media personnel to parents to bystanders. Lex pushed her way through the crowd, reaching the blockade. She found a police officer.  
“You need to let me through, my sister’s in the school.” She said.  
“Sorry, ma’am, but no one’s allowed through. You can go to the church on South Street and wait there with the other family members.” The officer replied as if he’d said those words a thousand times already.  
“No. You don’t understand. My sister, she’s autistic. Please, you have to let me get to her!” Lex begged.  
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but no civilians are to be let through.” He signalled a fellow officer, a kind faced woman.  
“What’s the problem?” She asked.  
“You need to let me through. I need to get my sister.” Lex said, tears flowing down her cheeks.  
“We’re doing our best to get your sister out. Come with me and I’ll take you to where all the other families are waiting, okay? We’ll be keeping you guys updated from there.” The female officer put her arm around Lex and began to guide her away towards the church on South Street. “What’s your name, dear?”  
“Lex.”  
“And, Lex, what’s your sister’s name.”  
“Hannah. Hannah Foster. But we call her Banana. She’s got autism and she didn’t want to go to school this morning but Ethan and me convinced her to go because she can’t stay home alone, and-“ Lex starts to sob. This was all her fault.  
“Don’t worry yourself, dear. It’s highly probable that Hannah’s unhurt.” The officer said. “Do you want me to call anyone to come and sit with you while you wait for news?”  
Lex shook her head. “I already rang Ethan and he’s on his way.”  
“Any other family?”  
“No. It’s just me, Ethan and Hannah.”  
They soon arrived on South Street, and the officer guided her into the church. It was crowded, mostly with parents and a few officers.  
“Sit tight here. I’m sure you’ll be with Hannah again soon.” The officer gave her a smile and a pat on the back before leaving her. Lex stared at the sea of parents before her. She felt out of place amongst them. She was too young. She found herself a secluded corner and sat down, hugging her knees to her chest, her eyes never left the door waiting for Ethan and Hannah to walk through.


	7. Hannah

BANG!  
BANG!  
BANG!  
Hannah was panicking. She didn’t know what to do. Webby was telling her to get behind the barricade of desks but she couldn’t move. She was too scared. She couldn’t breathe. There was too much happening. She thought she heard someone from her class calling to her, but she couldn’t hear them through the headphones and over the pounding of her heart.   
But then she wasn’t on the ground anymore. Someone had picked her up. Miss Larvernor. She was overwhelmed with the sensation f touch and it sent her brain into overdrive. Suddenly she could move again. She struggled to get free of Miss Larvernor. Every part of her that was being touched was amplified tenfold by her over-reactive nervous system. She needed to get away from the fire that was Miss Larvernors firm grip. She heard herself screaming.  
Then she was on the ground again and the only thing touching her were the floorboards she was sitting on. She stopped screaming. She started rocking back and forth. She wanted Lex to come and cuddle her and tell her everything was going to be okay. She wanted Ethan to come and pick her up and carry her away from her nightmares. Why weren’t they here? Where were they? She could feel her panic rising. She’d had panic attacks plenty of times, but never has she felt it on this level. There was so much happening inside her head that she could hardly hear Webby’s whispers. She wished Webby could give her a hug.   
BANG!  
The bangs were getting closer. It scared her not knowing what was making such sounds. There had been bangs when her mum would try to get into her and Lexi’s room. There had been bangs when her mum had slammed Lexi into the trailer’s wall. There was a bang when Ethan dropped part of Hannah’s bed frame. But this bang was different. It was different in a bad way. Worse than mum hurting Lex.  
Bad blood.  
That’s what Webby had been telling her all morning. Loud noise. Bad blood. The loud noise had already happened. Where was the bad blood?  
BANG!


	8. Lex

It felt like hours, but couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes when she saw Ethan come through the doors of the church. She stood up on shaky legs just as he spots her. They run towards each other. When they meet, Ethan pulls her into a tight embrace as she sobs into his chest, hugging him as hard as she can. He kisses the top of her head, holding her as tears fall down his own cheeks.  
“She’ll be okay.” He whispers. Lex can’t tell if he’s saying the words to her, or trying to reassure himself.  
“This is all my fault.” Lex whispers into Ethan’s jacket.  
“What?” He takes a small step back so he can see her tear-stained face.  
“This is all my fault. I made Hannah go to school.”  
“It’s not your fault.” He said firmly, holding her face in his hands. “None of this is your fault.”  
“But it is, Ethan! I could’ve let her stay home or I could’ve taken her to work with me, but I didn’t! I made her go to school when she kept saying something bad would happen!” Lex’s cries were drawing a few stares, but she took no notice of them.  
“That makes this as much my fault as yours, with that logic. I convinced Hannah everything would be okay. I gave her that hat and told her it would keep her safe.”  
“The fucking hat! Ethan! The hat isn’t fucking bullet proof! Hannah’s gonna think she’s invincible! What if she puts herself in danger because you told her that nothing could hurt her so long as she wearing that fucking hat!” She felt herself become angry.  
“She’s a smart kid, Lex, she’s not gonna do anything stupid.” Ethan said trying to calm her down.  
“Not smart enough to realise that a hat, is just some dumb fucking hat!”  
“Hey!” One of the dads shouted. “Watch your language! You’re in a church!”  
“Mind your own damn fucking business!” Lex yelled back, not in the mood to have some random dad yell at her.  
“Excuse me?”  
“You heard me!” Lex made to go and give the man a piece of her mind but Ethan grabbed her around the waist stopping her. “Ethan! Let me go!”  
“Not gonna happen, babe.” He then addressed the man. “Sorry, sir, she’s just worried about her sister.”  
“We’re all worried. But not all of us are disrespecting the house of the Lord. She’s not even a parent, she shouldn’t even be here.” The man scoffed. A few of the other parents, most likely his friends, gave murmurs of agreement.  
“I have just as much right to be here as you do!” Lex yelled back, tears forming fast.  
“With all due respect, sir.” Ethan said as calmly as he could while still restraining Lex. “You don’t know our situation. So, to quote my girlfriend, mind your own damn fucking business.” At that he left the church, taking Lex with him so they could get some fresh air.   
Once they made it out, Lex began to cry harder. Ethan gathered her into his arms.  
“I’m sorry.” She sobbed.  
“It’s okay, babe. She’ll be okay.”


	9. Hannah

BANG!  
She didn’t know what was going on. The bangs were getting closer which meant they were getting louder. She wished they’d stop. Her breath was fast and shallow and she was becoming light headed because of it. Where she sat there was a gap between the tables and she could see the door. She might see the bangs soon.  
BANG!  
BANG!  
The glass from the small window in the classroom door shattered. Her classmates screamed. She was too overwhelmed to make a sound. The screams of others only added to the sea of stimuli she was drowning in.  
An arm reached through the broken window, trying to turn the doorknob but wasn’t able to reach it because the window was too high up. The arm then disappeared only to be replaced by a long black tube. It was a gun Hannah realised. It looked like the ones in the video games Ethan sometimes played. It was pointed right at her through the gap in the tables.  
BANG!


	10. Ethan

Ethan held Lex outside the church for a long time. Only going back inside as an officer arrived, seemingly to have something to report to the waiting families.  
“Attention everyone” he said. The room fell into an anxious silence. “I’m here to inform you that the SWAT team is preparing to enter the school. This information is not to leave this room. Once the gunman has been taken down the students will be evacuated one class at a time. They will be taken to the Silverlake leisure center and we will come and tell you when your child is there. We want to make this as stress free as possible so do not go to the leisure center before we have instructed you to. Thank you.” The officer left, though some parents tried to chase him down to ask questions.  
“They’re gonna get her out.” Ethan says, kissing Lex in the side of the head.  
“What if they’re too late?” She spoke so quietly that Ethan wondered if she’d meant to speak at all.  
“Hey.” He moved Lex so that she was looking at him. “She’ll be okay.”  
“But, what if?”  
He shook his head. “No buts. No what if’s. Banana will be okay. She is okay.”  
“You can’t know that Ethan. She could be dead for all we know!” Lex was angry again. Though he knew it was aimed at herself rather than him.  
“Lex, do you love Hannah?”  
She looked at him like he was crazy. “Of course I do, she’s my whole world. What kind of question is that?”  
“Because you love her you need to trust that she’ll be alright because ‘worrying just means you suffer twice.’”  
She lets out a snort of brief laughter. “Did you just quote Harry Potter at me?”  
“Newt Scamander, actually.”  
“Nerd.”  
“Hey, you’re the one that got me into those books.”  
“Yeah but I don’t go around quoting it. Hence, why you’re a nerd.”  
“Whatever, you love it.”  
“I never said that.”  
“Well you love me and that includes my nerdiness.”  
“You make a fair point.” She smiled a little and wrapped her arms around him. He returned the embrace, resting his head on top of hers, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. If he was being honest with himself he knew that Lex was right. Hannah could be dead for all they knew. But he couldn’t let himself think like that otherwise he would break, and he needed to be strong for Lex.


	11. Lex

They were waiting. It had been almost an hour and still no one had come in to say whether or not the SWAT team had taken down whoever it was that was threatening Hannah and the other children.   
Lex and Ethan had found themselves a secluded spot and sat there, resting their backs against the cold stonewall. His arm was wrapped around her and her head rested on his shoulder. She was scared. She needed to know if Hannah was okay. Hannah being in danger, being unsafe made it feel like Lex had failed.   
Lex knew her sister, and even if Hannah were unhurt she’d be panicked. There was no doubt in her mind that Hannah was in full panic attack mode and once she was in that state it was only Lex or Ethan that could calm her down. She wouldn’t let anyone else near her. That’s when a worrying though popped into Lex’s head.  
“They won’t be able to get her out.” She said, lifting her head so she could look at Ethan’s face.  
“Huh?” He brought himself back into focus having zoned out.  
“Hannah. They won’t be able to get her out.”  
“What? Of course they will, Lex, they’re going to get everyone out.” He sat up a little straighter.  
She shook her head. “No. She’ll be too panicked. She won’t let anyone get near her, you know what she’s like, she won’t be able to walk herself out and she won’t let them carry her.” Lex grabbed his hands. “She’ll be stuck in there.”  
“They won’t just leave her, they’ll just have to let us go in and get her.” Ethan squeezed her hands.  
“They didn’t let me go in and get her before.”  
“That’s because there was an active shooter there, babe. Once they’ve arrested him, they’ll let us go get her.”  
“I hope you’re right.”  
He kisses her forehead. “We’ll get her out of there.”  
They return to their original position. Not long after that a woman in her thirties came over and sat down next to them.  
“You’re the ones with the sister in there, right?” The woman asked.  
“Yeah. And? Lex said, annoyed.  
“I just wanted to apologise about the way Richard was behaving earlier.” She gestures at the guy who had been a dick to Lex earlier. “He’s stressed about not knowing if his son is alright.”  
Lex scoffs. “We’re all stressed, that’s not an excuse.”  
“True.” The woman says. “I get the feeling there’s a bit of an age gap between you and your sister?”  
“Ten years, but what does it matter?”  
“It matters because I’m guessing that from that age gap you had a hand in raising her?”  
“Lex did all the raising.” Ethan said.  
“You helped too.” Lex looked up at him.  
He shook his head. “Not for the first few years, I only met her when she was like three.”  
“Still though.”  
He shrugged.  
“You’re like her surrogate parents then.” The woman said. “My adopted son is in there. I understand that even if you didn’t give birth to a child, you can still love them as much as a biological parent can.”  
“Yeah.” Lex said to the woman before turning back to Ethan. “Should we adopt Hannah?”  
He smiled at her, kissing her cheek. “Sure, babe, once all this is over, we’ll adopt Hannah.”  
“Thanks, babe.” She turns back to the woman. “And thanks for understanding.”  
The woman nods and smiles before getting up and walking back to the other parents. Lex returned her head to Ethan’s shoulder.


	12. Hannah

BANG!  
“Duck.” Webby’s voice broke through the cacophony. Hannah shifted her head downwards as a crack sounded on top of her head followed by her head stinging. Her headphones fell to the ground, broken in half. She began hyperventilating even harder, if that was possible. With every exhale came a short, sharp, breathy scream. Without the headphones there was nothing to block out the immense sound that was around her. There was so much noise she couldn’t see through it. She couldn’t hear anything it was so loud in that room. She tried to cover her ears with her hands but they were nothing compared to the headphones, so she took them away again.  
Then the noise was blocked again. It was dampened enough that she could vaguely register her surroundings. Something was pressed to her ears. Still breathing fast, she reached up her hands to feel what was there. Someone’s hands. She shied away after touching them, her hands burning from the contact. She decided to venture up again and found the hands were holding her broken headphones onto her ears.  
Her breathing eased a little and stopped coming out as screams. She registered something wet on her forehead and slowly reached up and touched it bringing her fingers before her eyes. They were red.  
Bad blood.  
BANG!  
Her breathing increased. Bad blood. Bad blood. Bad blood.  
BANG!  
BANG!  
There was too much going on. Too much sound. The bangs were coming faster now and from different directions. She couldn’t see through the fog of noise. She couldn’t feel anything except the pressure on her ears. There was so much noise that the headphones couldn’t keep it out.  
Loud noise. Bad blood.  
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!  
Then the bangs stopped, but Hannah couldn’t relax. She could barely breathe. Someone shouted from outside the room and then someone shouted back from inside, but Hannah couldn’t figure anything else out. Then there was silence. The silence itself was loud but her head was able to clear a little. The pressure released from her ears but there was still silence.


	13. Lex

Another hour of sitting on the floor went by before an officer arrived. Lex had spent the time resting on Ethan and trying not to have a break down from all the thoughts of what could have happened to Hannah.  
“Attention!” The officer called, not that there was much noise for him to silence. “We have evacuated the first class from the school. If your child or loved one is on this list you may head to the leisure centre and collect them. Make sure that the officer in charge knows who you are and who your child is before entering the building and leaving with the child.” He cleared his throat and began reading. “Alistair Braithwaite. Callum Corvis. Sierra Creaves. Heidi Donoghue.”  
Lex and Ethan both listened intently as the officer neared the F’s.  
“Kyra Dennis. Louis Etherington. Tara Fyfe. Ellis Horne. Marcus King.”  
Lex stopped listening. Hannah wasn’t in that class. But they were getting the kids out now. That meant that Hannah should be safe now, it’s just a matter of time before she’s out and at the leisure centre and Lex will find her there and never let her go.  
The officer finished the list and left, a gaggle of relieved parents following. Ethan began to stroke her hair as they waited for the next list of children.  
The officer came back fifteen minutes later with the next list. Hannah wasn’t on it, nor the one after that, or the one after that. Lex was becoming nervous. Would Hannah even be on one of the lists? The number of parents in the church began to dwindle. Where was Hannah?


	14. Hannah

The silence was being broken now. She had been sitting in the soundless room for ages, but now the door was making a noise. She didn’t like it. It was a scary noise, the noise of someone coming. She got the sense that everyone else was relieved by this noise, but Hannah remained in her panicked state, unable to relax.  
The door opened. Two tall men came in, dressed in black with SWAT written on their hard vests. Hannah didn’t know who these men were and she didn’t want to find out. Her breathing became sharper, once again coming out as soft screams.   
One of the men said something that she couldn’t hear. Her classmates and Miss Larvernor were standing up. Moving out from behind the desk barricade.   
She heard someone speak to her. “Come on, Hannah, we can leave now.” The voice was foggy but reached her ears. She turned to see who had spoken. Owen from her table group had been the one to speak. He was sitting close to her, holding her broken headphones. He put them in her lap. “It’s safe no we can leave.”  
The men in the black clothing didn’t feel safe to her. She didn’t trust them, though her classmates did. They were all leaving the room. Hannah couldn’t move. One of the men came up close to her, making as if to pick her up. She screamed, flailing her arms and legs to try and get him away. He backed off a bit and said something to his fellow. Everyone had gone now, even Owen had left. It was just Hannah and the man in the room.   
She watched the man, screaming every time he moved too much. Webby was trying to talk to her but there was too much going on and Webby was drowned out. She wanted Lexi and Ethan but they weren’t there. Just the man. She wanted to go home but she couldn’t move.  
Loud noise. Bad blood.  
Where were Lexi and Ethan? They needed to come rescue her.  
Some of the bad blood had gotten on the floor. She tried to stamp it out with her foot but it wouldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe.  
Lexi.  
Ethan.  
Help.  
Loud noise. Bad blood.


	15. Ethan

There were only about thirty parents left when the officer returned for the umpteenth time. He began to list of the names, but after he passed the F’s Ethan zoned him out. Where was Hannah? He was brought back to focus again when Lex sat up straighter.  
“Babe? What is it?” He said softly.  
“Those names. I recognise them. That’s Hannah’s class.”  
“Emily Oliphant. Owen Price. Lucy Seale.” The officer read. Ethan recognised the names as well.  
“Hannah wasn’t on the list.” Lex says as the officer finishes. He saw her growing panic. “If she wasn’t on the list then she’s-“  
“No. Lex, calm down.” Ethan ran his hands through his hair. He was thinking the same things as Lex but he needed to stay positive for her. “She might have been in the toilets of with the special ed teacher when it all started.”  
“Right. You’re right. But then she would be all alone. God, I hope she’s okay.” Lex cradled her head in her hands.  
A few minutes later the officer returned. He hadn’t been gone as long as he usually was.  
“Hannah Foster.” He said.  
Ethan and Lex looked at him and stood up, quickly going over to him.  
“You’re the parents of Hannah Foster?” He looked rather sceptical.  
“Legal guardians.” Ethan said and the officer accepted it.  
“Hannah hasn’t been able to be transported to the leisure centre.” He begins.  
“Is she okay?” Lex asks.  
“As far as we I am aware she is unharmed.”   
Lex visibly relaxes. Ethan gives her hand a squeeze. Hannah was okay.  
“However, we have been unable to evacuate her. She refuses to move and won’t let anyone near her. This is going outside of protocol but we need to get her out, so we would like you two to go into the school and try and calm her down enough to leave the premises.”  
“We can do that.” Ethan says.  
The officer nods. “Follow me.”  
They walk back towards the school, through crowds of police personnel, camera crews, news reporters and everyday people. The officer took them under the police tape. They could see the school now. Ethan was surprised to find it looked exactly the same from the outside. They were taken over to a SWAT officer who stood outside the main entrance.  
“Hannah Foster belong to these two?” The SWAT officer asked?  
“Yes.”  
“Right, come with me.” He took them inside the school. “Watch your step.”  
There was broken glass all over the floor. Ethan looked into a few rooms that they passed, seeing shot up furniture and the occasional pool of blood. He looked away.  
“She’s in here.” The SWAT officer gestured towards a door with a large puddle of blood in front of it. They stepped over it into the classroom, feet crunching on broken glass. But there in the back of the room was Hannah, knees curled into her chest, breathing faster than he though possible. Tears of relief began to prickle in the corners of his eyes. He wanted to run over to her, he could tell Lex did too, but they both knew that that would only freak Hannah out further. Slowly they walked over to her and crouched down in front of her but still at least a meter away.  
“What’s shaking, Banana?” Ethan whispered to her.


	16. Hannah

“What’s shaking, Banana?”  
She knew that voice. It was a good voice. The fog around her melted a bit. She could breathe a bit better now. She could see properly again too. There were two people kneeling in front of her.  
“It’s okay, Banana, you’re okay.” It was a different voice this time but just as good. The fog melted a bit more.  
“Lexi?” She spoke so quietly she couldn’t hear it.  
“Yeah, it’s me, Banana, I’m right here.” Lexi said.  
“Ethan?”  
“I’m here too, ‘nana.”  
Lexi and Ethan had come for her. They were here to rescue her from loud noises and bad blood. But she couldn’t get to them they were too far away. There was still too much fog.  
“Can’t find. Fog.” She said. She couldn’t reach them. Then she saw their hands. She knew their hands. Lexi and Ethan had stretched out there hands so she could find them. But what if the hands burned her like whenever someone else touched her while she was panicked?   
Gingerly she moved her hands towards there’s hesitating a moment, not sure if she would get hurt. She lightly touched their fingers, withdrawing her hands before she could get hurt. But no burning sensation came. She touched them again, and all she felt was a bit calmer. She slid her hands across there’s finding comfort in the movement, though she was still panicked.


	17. Lex

Hannah was okay, panicked, but okay. Hannah was touching her hand now and it was the best feeling. She and Ethan moved closer to Hannah, making sure not to scare her.   
Hannah had become calm enough to be able to move herself a bit. She lifted her head and looked at them. It seemed to take her a while to see that they were there, but once she spotted them Lex and Ethan moved in together, bringing Hannah into their arms.  
Tears of joy and relief were streaming down Lex’s face. She saw them on Ethan’s as well. Hannah was in her arms and she didn’t want to ever let go. Hannah’s breathing slowed to a relatively normal rate as she slowly wrapped her arms around them in return.  
“You’re okay, Hannah, you’re okay.” Lex whispered kissing her sister on the head. She felt Hannah begin to shake a little and heard her begin to cry, but this wasn’t her panic-attack sobs, these were her release tears. She would cry like this after she’d have a panic attack, releasing all the confused emotions and thoughts, letting go of everything that had just been overwhelming her.  
“’m sorry.” Hannah mumbled.  
“Don’t be sorry, Hannah, you have nothing to be sorry for.” Lex said.  
“Broke.” Hannah sits back a bit, holding up her broken headphones. Ethan took them eyes widening as he inspected them. Lex looked over to find what was wrong, still not letting go of Hannah. She felt the blood drain from her face as she saw how they had been broken. The centre point of the headphones had been cracked apart, though not all the way. Lodged at the back, sandwiched between the two halves was a bullet, a bullet that very nearly hit Hannah.  
“Oh my god.” Lex tugged Hannah closer. Ethan pulls them closer to him so that Lex and Hannah are on top of his lap. “Are you hurt?” Lex scans Hannah’s face, now noticing the blood. “She’s bleeding, Ethan.” She searches for the source and, taking off the ‘magic hat’ she finds a cut on top of her head where the headphones would have been sitting.  
“There are paramedics outside.” The SWAT officer said. Lex had forgotten he was even there. Hannah shrunk into her as he spoke.  
Lex nods at the officer. “Okay, Banana, it’s time to get out now.”  
Hannah slowly nods and turns to Ethan. “Carry?”  
He lets out a short relieved laugh. “Yeah, Split, I can carry you.” He slid Lex and Hannah off his lap and stood up, bending over to lift Hannah into his arms. Lex stood up at the same time, not wanting to break contact with her sister. She held onto Hannah’s hand as the three of them walked out of the classroom. “Close your eyes, Banana.” Ethan said and she did so.  
They made it out of the school and Hannah immediately started to panic again because of all the people and noise.  
“It’s okay, Hannah, we won’t let anything hurt you.” Lex soothed, stroked Hannah’s hair.  
They made it over to a paramedic who seemed to be waiting for anyone with an injury.  
“Sit her down here, and let me take a look.” The paramedic said reaching towards Hannah. She screamed a little and tried to get away.  
“The lady just want to help, Banana.” Lex said.  
“Yeah, Split, she’s just going to take a look at your head, she won’t hurt you.” Ethan rubs her back, trying to dispel the anxiety.  
“Why don’t one of you sit down with her?” The paramedic suggested.  
“How does that sound, ‘nana?” Lex asked.  
“Lex” Hannah pointed at her.  
“Yeah I can sit down with you.” She sat down on the chair and Ethan lowered Hannah onto her lap. Hannah instantly moved so she was straddling Lex, arms wrapped tightly around her. “Will you be able to treat her with her sitting like this?”  
“Yep, as long as she keeps still.”  
“Hear that, Banana?” Ethan crouches down behind Lex so Hannah can see him. “You can stay still so the nice lady can help you, right?”  
Hannah gives a barely perceptible nod and the paramedic gets to work, cleaning away the blood from her head.   
“Looks like it’s just a superficial cut. Do you know what caused it?” The paramedic asked.  
Ethan passed her the headphones.  
The paramedic let out a whistle. “She’s one lucky kid, I’ll tell you that.”  
“Magic hat.” Hannah whispered.   
“Well done magic hat.” Ethan says, putting the hat on Lex’s head. “And you dared to doubt it’s powers, babe.” She could hear the grin in his voice.  
She rolled her eyes.  
“Silly.” Hannah pokes her cheek.  
“I’m sorry, I never should’ve have doubted the magic propertied of this ragged old baseball cap.” Lex couldn’t help but smile.  
The paramedic finished cleaning up and taping shut the cut on Hannah’s head. “There you go. She should be fine now, but keep an eye on it in case it starts bleeding again.”  
“Thank you.” Lex says.   
Ethan walks around and picks Hannah back up so Lex could stand up. They make their way back to Ethan’s car and climb in, Lex joining Hannah in the back seat.  
By the time they get home the sun had set. Ethan carries Hannah inside the apartment, Lex right beside them.  
“You hungry, Banana?” He asks.  
She nods.  
“Me too, how about we order some pizza?”  
“Pizza!” Hannah smiles. Ethan pulls out his phone and places an order.  
When it arrives they Hannah requests to be seated on Lex for the duration of the meal, and before long she starts to fall asleep on Lex’s shoulder, having eaten her fill of pizza.  
“I think it’s time for bed, huh?” Lex strokes a few loose hairs from Hannah’s face.  
“Stay.”  
“We’ll all stay together tonight, don’t worry, Split.” Ethan says, standing up and picking Hannah off of Lex’s lap. The three of them move towards the master bedroom.  
They were all cuddled up in bed. Hannah lying on top of Lex, head nuzzled beneath her chin, Ethan’s arms wrapped around them. They were all okay. Hannah was safe and with them again and everything will be okay.


End file.
